China has significantly bolstered its birth-defect prevention system, now featuring over 4,000 agencies dedicated to prenatal screening tests and more than 3,000 agencies offering pre-marital and pre-pregnancy examinations, according to a symposium on rare disease collaboration and communication held on Saturday.
The number of prenatal diagnostic institutions in the country has exceeded 500, while 259 centers are devoted to screening newborn diseases. This expansion represents a major stride in China’s efforts to improve newborn health and prevent birth defects nationwide.
Shen Haiping, deputy head of the maternal and child health department of the National Health Commission, highlighted that there are currently over 8,000 identified birth defects, with a significant portion classified as rare diseases. “Enhancing the prevention and treatment of birth defects is crucial for improving the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases,” Shen stated.
Recognizing the importance of this issue, China has included the prevention of birth defects as a key element in its “Outline of Healthy China 2030.” The government has issued multiple directives to ensure medical institutions provide equitable, accessible, high-quality, and efficient services for the prevention of birth defects.
Presently, 24 provinces across the nation offer free pre-marital examinations, and 23 provinces provide free pre-pregnancy examinations. Thanks to concerted efforts in enhancing prenatal screening, diagnosis, and intervention, the prenatal screening rate has increased to 91.3 percent in China.
As a result, the infant mortality rate and the mortality rate among children under five caused by birth defects have both decreased by more than 30 percent nationwide compared to five years ago, according to Shen.
Looking ahead, further efforts will be made to improve the prevention and treatment of birth defects, as well as to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, striving to better fulfill the public’s aspiration to have healthy children, Shen added.
Reference(s):
China boosts network for newborn health, prevention of birth defects
cgtn.com
